How Revelation of Power Inspires Fan MTG Card Design

How Revelation of Power Inspires Fan MTG Card Design

In TCG ·

Revelation of Power—MTG card art from Streets of New Capenna

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

How Revelation of Power Inspires Fan MTG Card Design

White instant tempo with a twist—Revelation of Power delivers a clean, memorable moment on the battlefield. For two mana, you can push a creature just enough to swing the pace in your favor, but the true magic lies in the conditional layer: if the target creature already bears a counter, it gains flying and lifelink until end of turn. That combination—a straightforward boost with a surprising second bite—has become a well-worn blueprint for fan-made cards that want to reward a buildup of resources or counters 🧙‍♂️⚔️. It’s a design pattern that resonates with players who enjoy not just raw power, but timing, risk, and payoff coded into a single optimal instant.

From a design perspective, the card’s mana cost and rarity are telling. A common white instant at CMC 2 keeps the mechanic accessible while encouraging players to weave it into various builds—token swarms, white weenie aggro, or control-light lists that rev up resilience. The text itself reads like a compact lesson in tempo: push a creature’s immediate power, then add a flavorful perk if it already carries a counter. It’s a mantra for fan designers who want to reward player investment without overloading a card with complexity 🧠💡. The artful restraint here is what makes the concept so transferable to fan-made designs, where a single line of text can seed an entire engine of interactions.

As Ob Nixilis closed in, Halo swept through Giada like an electrical current, and inside her, something long dormant unfurled its wings.

That flavor-rich moment is a treasure for card creators. It hints at the tension between looming threat and sudden, electrogenic defense—a theme that fans love to translate into mechanics. The “counter on it” condition acts as a narrative trigger: counters become a narrative currency that unlocks additional capabilities. In fan sets, this invites new synergies with +1/+1 counters, ward effects, or aura-based shenanigans, letting players design payoffs around counters floating in the battlefield—sometimes as a whisper of lifelink or as a gust of temporary evasive power 💎🎨.

Design takeaways for fan creators

  • Tempo with a twist: A two-mana instant that boosts power but adds a conditional bonus keeps the play pattern engaging without exploding the board state. This is perfect for fans who want to emphasize timing and decision points 🧙‍♂️.
  • Counter-centered interactions: The counter requirement invites fan decks to lean into counter-matters themes, enabling creative combos with ramp, anthem effects, or tribal synergies that reward planning over pure speed 🔥.
  • White’s toolbox: The card sits comfortably within white’s identity—evocation of swift justice, access to evasive tricks, and lifelink as a practical upside. Fan cards can mirror this with protective auras, removal-ready tempo plays, or situational evasion that preserves combat resilience ⚔️.
  • Story through mechanics: The flavor line about halo-like energy and wings translates nicely into fan-card art prompts and mechanical motifs. A fan card can echo that electric “halo sweep” moment with art and a small-but-significant power bump queued behind a counter-check 🎨.

In practice, fan designers often blend Revelation of Power’s essence with broader set themes. The idea of “granting flight and lifelink if a counter exists” can inspire a cascade of counter-supporting cards: counter shapers, token generators that accumulate counters, or direct-support spells that place counters on creatures to create scale and narrative progression. It’s a turn-key concept for fans who want to celebrate the magical arc of a battlefield turning on a single well-timed decision 🧙‍♂️💥.

For crafters who track card dynamics, this kind of design also emphasizes balance discipline. A common rarity keeps expectations grounded; the conditional boost ensures there’s risk and reward without overpowering the stage. This balance, plus the ability to shine in EDH or other multi-player formats, encourages fan designers to experiment with sideboard magic, alternate win-cons, or even small evergreen traits that make a fan card feel at home across decks and playgroups. The end result is not just a card, but a small, resonant moment that evokes that classic MTG feeling of “one more turn” before a dramatic swing 🧙‍♂️🔥.

From the aesthetic side, the Streets of New Capenna era emphasizes sleek, stylish conflict and a noir-glamour vibe. Fan cards that borrow this energy can pair bold text with art-forward concepts, using clean iconography to signal the counter mechanic and optional flight/lifelink. The fan-design invitation is simple: translate a moment of power into a tangible, playable snippet that rewards thoughtful play and invites a little storytelling at the table 🎲. The takeaway is clear—great fan cards distill a vibe, a moment of tactical revelation, and a taste of lore into something you can sleeve up and play with friends.

Speaking of tactile workspaces that feed the creative fire, consider stepping up your desk setup while you draft your next MTG-inspired creation. Our latest shop pick—a PU Leather Mouse Mat with non-slip vegan leather and sustainable ink—keeps your table looking sharp as you brainstorm flashy combos and counter-based interactions. It’s the little things that set the mood for a day of design and play 🧵🪶.

PU Leather Mouse Mat - Non-Slip, Vegan Leather, Sustainable Ink

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Revelation of Power

Revelation of Power

{1}{W}
Instant

Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. If it has a counter on it, it also gains flying and lifelink until end of turn.

As Ob Nixilis closed in, Halo swept through Giada like an electrical current, and inside her, something long dormant unfurled its wings.

ID: 7e010b11-8f3e-4792-afe4-0a376650b6c4

Oracle ID: 287f60a6-e83b-487b-add9-2048a06dcca1

Multiverse IDs: 555229

TCGPlayer ID: 269123

Cardmarket ID: 652159

Colors: W

Color Identity: W

Keywords:

Rarity: Common

Released: 2022-04-29

Artist: Eric Deschamps

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 20527

Penny Rank: 16621

Set: Streets of New Capenna (snc)

Collector #: 28

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — legal
  • Timeless — legal
  • Gladiator — legal
  • Pioneer — legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.05
  • USD_FOIL: 0.08
  • EUR: 0.07
  • EUR_FOIL: 0.12
  • TIX: 0.01
Last updated: 2025-11-18